Gripper mechanism.



PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903.

G. E. PANGOAST.

GRIPPER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23. 1903. 3'

N0 MODEL.

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@ @VMMM/ ATTORNEYS No. 747,213. Patented December 15, 1903'.

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GEORGE E. PANOOAST, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN LITHOGRAPHIO OOHPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

GRIPPER MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,213, dated December 15, 1903.

Application filed April 28, 1908. Serial No. 153,919. (No model.)

To a. whom it may c n n: The accompanying drawings, which are re- Be it known that I, GEORGE E. PANCOAST, ferred to herein and form a part hereof, illusa citizen of the United States, and a resident trate one embodiment of my invention and of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State serve in connection with the description here-' 5 of New York, have invented certain new and in to explain the principles thereof.

useful Improvements in GripperMechanism, Of the drawings, Figure l is a sectional of which the following is a specification. View illustrating a gripping device construct This invention relates to devices for grip ed in accordance with my invention as ap ping and carrying sheets of paper or similar plied to a paper-carrying cylinder. Fig. 2is 6o no material, said devices being especially adaptasectional view, on an enlarged scale,through ed for usein printing-presses or similar paperone of the gripper-fingers and its supporting manipulating machines. Devices of this shaft; and Fig. 3 is a plan View, on the same character usually consist of a series of gripscale as Fig. l, of a portion of the gripperping-fingers constructed to move into and out shaft removed from the cylinder. 15 of contact. with a relatively stationary mem- Like reference-numerals refer tolike parts. ber forming one edge of a cylindrical sheet- A gripper constructed in accordance with carrying surface, as the impression-surface my invention, broadly considered, comprises of a printing-press. Much difficulty has been a relatively fixed member, a movable member, experienced in causing such a gripper as ora device by which said movable member is 2o dinarily constructed to take the sheets from operated, a yielding connection between the a sheet-presenting device without the occurmovable member and its operating device, rence of more or less slipping between the said connection being arranged to permit the sheet and the gripper and without the amount movable member to yield with relation to its of the slip of successive sheets varying more operatingdevice in a direction away from 25 or less, so that all the sheets will not occupy the fixed member, and adjustable means for thesame positionin the machine,asrequiredpositively fixing the position of said movable for instance, to secure accurate register of member in the opposite direction. the impressions in multicolor-printing. In accordance with the best embodiment I have found that the slipping, or at least of my invention and, as shown in the draw- 30 the variations in the amount of the slip beings, the fixed member of the gripper contween the grippers and the sheets, is due in sists of the forward edge of a sheet-carrying part to the fact that all the gripper fingers surface, the same consisting of the surface of do not begin to press on the edge of the paper a cylinder 1, fixed on a supporting-shaft 2. at the same time and in part to the fact that This cylinder may form the impression or 35 when wholly closed the gripper-fingers do other sheet-carrying member of a printingnot bear with equal force on the paper. press. In accordance with the construction My invention has for an object, therefore, shown this cylinder is arranged totake the to provideaconstruetion wherebythegrippersheets from a feed-board 3, the sheets being fingers may be adjusted with great nicety to fed with their forward edges against the 0 make pressure contact with the paper sifront stops 4:, which are adapted to cooperate multaneously and to rest thereon each with with the paper-guides 5and 6. The movable the same degree of pressure; also, to provide member of the gripper consists of a series of a construction which, nevertheless, is simple gripper-fingers 7, and the operating device and cheap and which when once adjusted for the movable memberalso constitutes the 5 will maintain its adjustments indefinitely. support thereof, the same, as shown, consist- These and other objects of my invention will ing of a rock-shaft 8, on which the grippermore fully appear from the following defingers 7 areindependentlymountedin a row. scription. The rock'shaft 8 is suitably journaled at its My invention consists in the novel parts, imopposite ends, so as to lie in a transverse open- I00 50 provements, and combinations herein shown ing or gripper-gap 9 of the cylinder 1 in posiand described. tion for the free ends of the finger 7 to cooperate with the surface of the cylinder along one edge of the gap. As the means for rocking the shaft 8 to move the grippersinto and out of contact with the gripper edge on the cylinder form no part of the present in vention and are not necessary to a complete understanding thereof, they are not shown in the drawings and will not be described herein. The yielding connection between each of the gripper-fingers and the rock-shaft 8, whereby the fingers are permitted to yield in one direction with relation to the shaft, may be formed in any suitable way, as may also the adjustable means for positively fixing the position of the fingers with relation to the shaft in the opposite direction. In accordance with the construction shown each of the gripper-fingers is fitted to a suitable annular recess or groove 10in the gripper-shaft, the gripper-fingers being to facilitate their attachment and removal made in two parts, 7 and 11. The opening for the gripper-shaft 8 is formed between two parts 7 and 11, which parts are secured together and clamped with a closed working fit onto the shaft 8 by means of the screws 12. In accordance with the best embodiment of the invention a recess 13 is formed between the grippers 7 and 11 at one side of the opening in which the shaft 8 is located, and the shaft 8 is provided with a rigid abutment or arm 14, adapted to occupy an intermediate position in the recess 13. The arm 14 may be formed and secured to the shaft in any suitable way. As shown, it is set into a slot or keyway formed in one side of the shaft 8 and is provided with a pin 15, which is fitted to an opening in the shaft and is riveted at the opposite side thereof. For the purpose of accurately adjusting and at the same time positively fixing the position of the gripper with relation to the shaft Sin a direction toward the gripper edge of the cylinder the part 11 of the gripper is provided with a set-screw 16, which projects through one side of the recess 13 and into contact with .the arm 14:, a jam-nut 17 being provided to hold the set-screw 16 in its adjusted position. The yielding connection between the gripper 7and its supporting-shaft 8,adapted to permit the gripper to yield with relation to the shaft in a direction away from the gripper edge of the cylinder in accordance with the best embodiment of the invention and, as shown, consists of a block 18 of soft rubber or similar resilient material, which is confined between the arm 1 and a plate 19, fitted in the opposite side of the recess 13 from the adjusting-screw 16. To vary the compression of the block 18, the plate 19 may be adjusted in the recess toward or away from the arm 14 by means of a set-screw 20. It follows from this construction that by manipulating the setscrew 16 all of the gripper-fingers may be so set with relation to the shaft 8 that they will come into contact with the gripper edge of the cylinder, and thus int-o pressure-contact with the paper thereon at the same instant.

Then by manipulating the set-screws 20 the compression of the yielding or resilient connections 18 may be so adjusted that each of the grippers will bear on the paper with the same amount of force, and these adjustments may be secured easily and with great accuracy.

My invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the precise construction shown nor to the particular construction by which it may be carried into effect, as many changes may be made in the construction without departing from the main principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what vI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A gripper comprising a relatively fixed member, a movable member, a device by which said movable member is operated, a yielding connection between the movable memberand its operating device, said connection being arranged to permit the movable member to yield with relation to its operating device in a direction away from the fixed member and adjustable means for positively fixing the position of said movable member in the opposite direction with relation to its operating means.

2. A gripper comprising a relatively fixed member a movable member, a device by which said movable member is supported and operated, a yielding connection between the movable member and its support, said con nection being arranged to permit the movable member to yield with relation to its support in a direction away from the fixed member-and adjustable means for positively fixing the position of said movable member in the opposite direction with relation to its support.

3. A gripper comprising a relatively fixed member, a movable member, a rock-shaft on which said movable member is mounted, a yielding member between the movable member and said rock-shaft, said connection being arranged to permit the movable member to yield with relation to the rock-shaft inadirection away from the fixed member and adjustable means for positively fixing the position of said movable member in the opposite direction with relation to the rock-shaft.

4. A gripper comprising a relatively fixed member, a gripper-finger, a rock-shaft on which said gripper-finger is mounted, an arm fixed to said shaft, a pair of abutments on said gripper-finger between which said arm is confined, one of said abutments being adjustable and a spring arranged between the other abutment and said arm.

5. A gripper comprising a relatively fixed member, a gripper-finger, a rock-shaft on which said gripper is mounted, an arm fixed on said shaft, a pair of abutments on said gripper-finger between which said arm is confined, one of said abutments being adjustable, and a spring arranged between the other ISO IIO

of said abutments and said arm, said adjustable abutment being arranged to oppose movement of the gripper-finger with relation to the rock-shaft in a direction toward the fixed member.

6. A gripper comprising a relatively fixed member, a gripper-finger, a rock-shaft on which said gripper-finger is mounted, an arm fixed on said shaft, a pair of adjustable abutments on said gripper-finger between which said arm is confined, and a spring arranged between one of said abutmen'ts and said arm.

7. A gripper comprising a relatively fixed member, a gripper-finger, a rock-shaft on which said gripper-finger is mounted, an arm fixed on said shaft, a pair of adjustable abutments on said grippenfinger between which said arm is confined, and a spring arranged between one of said abutments and saidarin,

said spring beingarranged to oppose the movement of the gripper-fingers with relation to the rock-shaft in a direction away from the fixed member.

8. A gripper comprising a relatively fixed member, a gripper-finger, a rock-shaft having a groove in which said gripper-finger is confined, an arm fixed in the groove on said shaft, a recess in said gripper-finger in which said arm is confined, and a spring confined between said arm and one side of said recess.

9. A gripper comprising a relatively fixed member, a series of gripper-fingers, a rockshaft on which said gripperfingers are mou nted, a series of arms fixed on said shaft, one for each ofsaid gripper-fingers, a pair of adjustable abutments on each of said gripperfing ers between which abutments one of said arms is confined, and a series of springs, one arranged between each of the said arms and one of the abntments on each of the grippers.

10. A gripper comprising a relatively fixed member, a series of gripper-fingers, a rockshaft having a series of grooves in which said gripper-fingers are confined, an arm fixed in each of the grooves on said rock-shaft, a recess in each of said gripper-fingers in which the corresponding arm is confined, and a block of resilient material confined between each of said arms and one side of the corresponding recess.

11. A gripper comprisinga relatively fixed member, a series of gripper-fingers, a rockshaft having grooves in which said gripperfingers are confined, an arm fixed in each of said grooves on said rock-shaft, a recess in each of said gripper-fingers in which the corresponding arm is confined, and a block of yielding material confined between each of said arms and one side of the corresponding recess so as to oppose movement of the gripper-fingers relative to the rock-shaft in a direction away from said fixed member.

12. A gripper comprising a relatively fixed member, a series of gripper-fingers, a rock-' shaft having grooves in which each of said grippers is confined, an arm fixed in each of said grooves on said rock-shaft, a recess in each of said gripper-fingers in which the cor responding arm is confined, a set-screw projecting into one side of each of said. recesses and a block of yielding material confined between each of said arms and the other side of the corresponding recess.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE E. PANCOAST.

Witnesses:

WALTER P. FENTEYEL, JACOB MILLER. 

